Recently did a test print with Creality Pla-wood. The smell during the print is amazing, I’m kind of hooked. I printed something flat, was easy to sand and stain looks incredible, 100% looks like wood. It’s been 48h and no matter how much I wipe the thing it’s still tacky / leaves a little residue on my hands. Do I just need to wait longer? Is this normal? Is it OK to clearcoat before absolutely bone dry / residue free?
What about sanding more complex structures? Do I need to get a sand blaster for this? Is there a dremel brush I could use?
You should probably remove excess stain before it turns tacky. Remember, stains seep into the wood, they provide no protection being on the surface.
You want the surface absolutely dry before clear coating. If the stain doesn’t dry off, I would suggest applying some solvent- whatever is recommended for thinning by the product to remove the tacky stuff if you were trying to recover it.
For sanding complex shapes, you might be able to get a tumbler or vibration tank. Sand blasting is very aggressive, even using finer grits; and plastic is very soft. I’ve had good luck with spongey dremel wheels, if one’s in a hurry, or, using foam sanding pads.
Thanks. I’ll have to try those foam pads.